Gangster Squad tries very hard, but it doesn't quite settle. Some of the style as well as the in-your-face graphic violence has overtones of Zach Snyder's work (especially in the slow-motion scenes), but director Ruben Fleischer seems unable to shake his comedic roots. Fleischer's best work thus far has been the satirical Zombieland, and although it's refreshing to see him take a more dramatic story, there are too many moments in this movie where you're uncertain of whether he's poking fun at something, or it's just unconsciously, unbearably cheesy.

There's a lot to this movie that makes you want to like it. It's got a heck of a great cast (Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, and Giovanni Ribisi to name a few), and a slick look. For directors, cinematographers, and the movie buff, what is there not to love about the noir era or movies that evoke it? There are a few scenes that dazzle and impress, but overall the movie is hampered by weak story, script, and direction.

Several times in the movie, I thought to myself "How is this happening?" Because although the movie professes to be "inspired by true events", nowhere is there a believable plot or heist. Half of it doesn't make sense, and it feels more like a superhero movie than a true story of old-school LAPD. The lines delivered by characters are almost saved by the skilled actors that wield them, but not entirely. I really wanted to buy into the whole story and look and I wanted desperately to be taken by the suave Gosling/Brolin/Stone trio as well as taken by Penn's transformation into Mickey Cohen. It wasn't meant to be, though. The movie tries too hard to be smooth and misses the mark.

Look at us walking away from a car exploding without even glancing back because we're so badass.

You can tell Fleischer wants to evoke a certain feeling from this movie. At times, you can liken the movie to the likes of Dick Tracy or Double Indemnity...but the truth is that for all its fancy shots and effects, it pales in comparison to the snap and allure of the old noir films.